In laterAnglo-Saxon England, athegn, orthane[1] (Latinminister[2]), was an aristocrat who ranked at the third level in lay society, below the king andealdormen.[3] He had to be a substantial landowner.Thanage refers to the tenure by which lands were held by a thane as well as the rank; an approximately equivalent modern title may be that ofbaron.
The termthane was also used inearly medievalScandinavia for a class of retainers, andthane was a title given to local royal officials in medieval easternScotland, equivalent in rank to the child of anearl.
 |
| Cyning(sovereign) |
| Ætheling(prince) |
| Ealdorman(Earl) |
| Hold /High-reeve |
| Thegn |
| Thingmen /Housecarl /Hearthweru(retainer) |
| Reeve /Verderer(bailiff) |
| Churl(free tenant) |
| Villein(serf) |
| Cottar(cottager) |
| Þēow(slave) |
Thegn is only used once in the laws before the reign of KingÆthelstan (924–939), but more frequently in charters.[4] Apparently unconnected to theGerman andDutch worddienen ('to serve'),H. M. Chadwick suggests "the sense of subordination must have been inherent... from the earliest time".[5] It gradually expanded in meaning and use, to denote a member of a territorial nobility, while thegnhood was attainable by fulfilling certain conditions.[4]
An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary describes a thane as "one engaged in a king's or a queen's service, whether in the household or in the country". It adds: "the word... seems gradually to acquire a technical meaning... denoting a class, containing several degrees".[4]
In the 5th century,Germanic peoples collectively known asAnglo-Saxons migrated tosub-Roman Britain and came to dominate the east and southeast of the island. Based on archaeological evidence (such as burials and buildings), these early communities appear to have lacked any social elite. Around half the population were free, independent farmers (Old English:ceorlas) who cultivated ahide of land (enough to provide for a family).Slaves, mostly nativeBritons, made up the other half.[6]
By the late 6th century, the archeological evidence (grander burials and buildings) suggests the development of a social elite. This period coincided with theLate Antique Little Ice Age and thePlague of Justinian. These events would have caused famine and other societal disruptions that may have increased violence and led previously independent farmers to submit to the rule of strong lords. The Old English word forlord ishlaford ('loaf-guardian' or'bread-giver').[7]
The earlylaw codes of Kent use the Old English wordeorl ('high born','noble') to describe a nobleman. By the 8th century, the wordgesith ('companion'; Latin:comes) had replacedeorl as the common term for a nobleman.[8][9] There were both land-owning and landless gesiths.[10] A landless gesith would serve as aretainer in thecomitatus of a king, queen, or lord. In return, they were provided protection (Old English:mund) and gifts of gold and silver. Young nobles were raised with the children of kings to someday become their gesith.[11] A gesith might be granted an estate in reward for loyal service.[8]
By the 10th century, Anglo-Saxon society was divided into three main social classes: slaves,ceorlas ('free men'), andþegnas ('thegns','aristocrats').[12]Thegn (Old English:þeġn) meant servant or warrior, and it replaced the termgesith.[8] Law codes assigned aweregeld or man price of 200shillings for aceorl and 1,200s for a thegn.[13]
There were different ranks within the thegnhood. The lowest thegnly rank was the median thegn who owed service to other thegns. King's thegns ranked higher because they only served the king.[14] The king promoted the most favoured or important thegns to the office ofealdorman (laterearl).[15] The higher a thegn's rank, the greaterheriot he paid to the king.[14]
Thegns were the backbone of local government and the military.Sheriffs were drawn from this class, and thegns were required to attend theshire court and give judgment. For these reasons, the historianDavid Carpenter described thegns as "thecountry gentry of Anglo-Saxon England".[16]
Although their exact role is unclear, the twelve senior thegns of thehundred played a part in the development of the English system of justice. Under a law ofÆthelred the Unready they "seem to have acted as the judicial committee of the court for the purposes of accusation".[17] This suggests some connection with the modernjury trial.
Children inherited thegnly status from their father, and a thegnly woman who married aceorl retained her noble status.[13] A successful thegn might hope to be promoted to earl.[4]
A prosperousceorl could become a landlord in his own right and aspire to thegnly rank. In the legal tractGeþyncðo, ArchbishopWulfstan of York (1002–1023) detailed the criteria for attaining thegnhood: "And if aceorl prospered, that he possessed fully five hides of his own, abelhus and aburhgeat [a defensiblemanor house], a seat and special office in the king’s hall, then was he henceforth entitled to the rights of a thegn."[18] The legal textNorðleoda laga ('law of the Northern People') also included the five-hide qualification but added that the land had to be kept for three generations.[19]
Thegnhood was also attainable to the merchant who "fared thrice over the wide sea by his own means."[20]
A noble household included a number of retainers, termedcniht ('young man','retainer'; from which the modern wordknight derives) orhuscarl ('housecarl','man of the household'). Thegnly wills can be used to reconstruct noble households. Thurstan Lustwine's will, writtenc. 1043, left land to hiscnihtes and his twochaplains (who in addition to religious duties would also have performed secretarial work). The will of a noblewoman named Leofgifu left land to her three stewards, tworeeves, a chaplain, and hercnihtes. Another household officer identified in wills is that ofhuntsman (hunta).[21]
Just as king's thegns served in theroyal household, lesser thegns served as theseneschals,chamberlains, and stewards of king's thegns and ealdormen. These were considered honourable posts rather than servile positions. Vagn, the leader ofEarl Leofric's housecarls, owned 54hides of land with his mainmanor atWootton Wawen ('Vagn's Wootton'). High ranking men such as Vagn would have formed the inner circle of the lord's household.[22]
In 1066, there were an estimated 5,000 thegns in England.[23] After theNorman conquest of England in 1066,William the Conqueror replaced the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy with Normans, who replaced the previous terminology with their own names for such social ranks. Those previously known as thegns became part of the knightly class.[4]
During the later part of the tenth and in the eleventh centuries inDenmark andSweden, it became common for families or comrades to raise memorialrunestones. Approximately fifty of these note that the deceased was a thegn. Examples of such runestones includeSö 170 at Nälberga,Vg 59 at Norra Härene,Vg 150 at Velanda,DR 143 at Gunderup,DR 209 at Glavendrup, andDR 277 at Rydsgård.